Page:History of Australia, Rusden 1897.djvu/303

 COURT MARTIAL AT PARKAMATTA. EXECUTIONS. 275 Excellency that I never saw mort! zeal and activity thau what has been _ displayed by the oliiLiers and men of this detachment for destroying and laecuring the runaways,. . . Cunningham, one of the rebel chiefs, fivho was supposed to l>e dead on the field, was brought in here alive, and I immediately (with the opinion of the officers) ordered bim to be hung up '**• Thus was a foumklable msurrection stamped out by the promptitude of tlie Governor, and the energy of Johnston and his men, who marched in about nine hours a journey which he computed at forty^five miles. On the morning of the 5th March Johnston had left Sydney. On the 8th a Icourt-martial was held at Parraniatta* Captain Edward "Abbott the president, Captain Kemp, Lieutenants Davies, Brabyn, Menzies, MeCallam, and Quartermaster Laycock formed the court, Richard Atkins was the Deputy Judge- Advocate, Ten men were arraigned, most of whom pleaded jthat they *' were forced to join the rebels." All were found guilty and sentenced to death. King approved the proceed- ings and sentence, and dissolved the court, and three of the prisoners were hung on the day of then* trial at Parramatta, One of them was a freed man who declared that he had been forced to jom the rebels. Three were hung at Castle Hill, and on the 10th two were hung at Sydney. Two were pardoned by King. Other culprits were sentenced to the ish, some ** at the discretion of the magistrates, and according to the opinion of the surgeons, of the number of jjashes they can bear without endangering then- lives/' I An Order of the 5 th March appointed a captain of the Parramatta Loyal Association, and added: — ** Every person seen out of their houses or habitations after sunset will be apprehended as rebels, and punished accordingly ; and let ^f the death of Cunningham, &c,, having obtained credence and been Quoted without hesitation, it m right to quote deb'patclies of Major ^ Johnston, as authorities whioh arc unqLieetiouable and decisive. In the 'official list furnished by King, Cunningham is included as ** executed at Hawkesbury." He waa hung on the ataircaae of the public store there, Vlth March 1S04. Cunningham had been overseer of stonemasons at Castle Hill. Another man, executed at Parramatta, had been overseer of carpentera. One poor wretch was the only survivor of a party of Irish who endeavoured to walk to China. The Sydiiey Gazette on the 11th March dilated on the extreme lenity shown by the Government to **the majority of the deluded offenders.^' 8 2
 * Tarioua erroneoufi accounts of tliia outbreak^ of the number of troops^
 * which he lx>asted in bia march that he would pluiider."^5f/ff jwif Gazette,